Puncture-detector for inner tubes for tires.



M. D. SELF 6L]. 0. WILLINGHAM.

PUNCTURE DETECTOR FOR INNER TUBES FOR TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30. 1914.

1,148,933. I Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

in the county of J eiferson and MAJOR DOUGLAS SELF, "0F BESSEVMER, AND JOSEPH OLIVER BRIGHTON, ALABAMA.

WILLINGHAM, OF

PUNCTURE-DETECTOR FOR INNER TUBES FOR trIREs.

Specif cation of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Application filed July so, 1914. Serial Nb. 854,197.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, MAJOR DOUGLAS SELF and JOSEPH OLIVER VVILLINGHAM, citi; Zens of the United States of America, resid' ing at Bessemer and Brighton, respectively,

State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puncture-Detectors for Inner Tubes for Tires, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to; an improvement in a device for locating the punctures or leaks in inner tubes of automobile tires, and our object is to provide a simple and inexpensive device adapted both for testing the leakage of valve and locating punctures in the tube.

One object of our invention is to design a puncture detector-of such character that it encompasses practically the whole part of the tube liable'to puncture so that by passing the tube through it once, all punctures through the tire tread or from rirn cutting can be located at the same time.

A further advantage of having our detector practicallyencompass the tube is that by inflating the latter it is expanded into air tight engagement with the inner walls of the detector which are recessed to form a chamber which communicateswith an indicator that responds to an increase of pressure in the chamber due to the leakage of air therein through the puncture. By our arrange ment the tube is inserted in partially expanded condition into the detector, and drawn therethrough, requiring but small time for the operation.

Our invention further comprises the details of construction and arrangement of parts which are hereinafter more particularly, described and claimed and which are illustrated in their preferred embodiment only in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of our device in operation. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional View through the device taken on a plane corresponding to that of the line a2w of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View on the line y z of Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Our invention, as disclosed in the drawings, comprises a metallic body portion 1 which is ring-shaped except where interinto a flaring chamber 15 which is rupted bya slot 2 Wide to permit an inner tube to be pinched together and inserted therethrough into the ring. The inner wall of the detector is recessed to form a chamber 3 having side walls 4 and end Walls This chamber 3 is continuous from theWall 5 on one side of the slot tothe wall 5 on the other side of the slot and is preferably of uniform depth. attached thereto a boss GthrOugh which a port 7 leads into the chamber 3. The port 7 opens intoan enlarged chamber 8 in the boss which is open at its outer end and is normally closed by a thin rubber sheet 9 that'is held stretched over the boss by a cord or rubber band 10 Which secures its edges about the sides of the boss, causing the rubber sheet to form an air tight closure for the chamber 8. 1 1

One side of the body 1 has attached thereto or integral therewith an extension 11 having its greatest length in the plane of the ring body and provided at its lower end with an open bottom chamber which receives a rubber gasket 12. This gasket has a central opening 13 therethrough which registers with a passageway 14 that extends upwardly through the extension and opens closed by a rubber sheet 16 similar to 9 and held, in place by a string, band, or retainer means 17 The passage 13 through the gasket is also made flaring at its lower end 18 and is adapted to receive the valve stem 19 of an inner tube 20. Diametrically opposite the extension 11 the ring body is provided with lugs 21 which serve in conjunction with the thumb screw 22 to form a clamp by means of which the detector may be attached to any suitable support, such for instance as the mud guard 23 of the car. It will be noted that the edges of the side walls 4 for the chamber 3 are rounded (see Fig. 3) so that they will not injure the inner tube as it is drawn therethrough.

In practice, when the inner tube is found to be leaking, we first test the valve by forcing its outer end tightly into the rubber gasket 12. If there is leakage the rubber cover 16 will be forced outwardly by the air pressure to its dotted line position and will indicate clearly that there is trouble with the valve. In case leakage is not found in the valve and it becomes necessary to test the The body 1 has cast 01* normally which is made sufficiently 5 adjacent to the slot 2.

7 thereby making the chamber practicallyair -tight.

clamp to asupport (or it maybelheld in tion of thetube comes with the chamber 3, theescaping air pressure will instantly take ,eliect. causingarise-in 7 pressure therein,

port 7 to outwardly the rubber cover '9 as an ,indi- .cator. It will be obvious thata tube can be tube itselffor the leak or puncture, the tube is partially expanded and by being pinched together is passed up through the opening 2 into the detector and permitted'to expand until its walls press tightly against the side walls 4 and endfwalls 50f the'chamber 3,

The detector being attached by its the inner tube is now hand if desired) grasped and drawnslowly through the detector. Whenever the punctured: or leaking ,por-

into communication pressure which is communicated through the drawn quicklythrough the detector and that it will in one operation cover all but the very small portion of the inner wall of the tube where punctures practically never ooour. However, if desired, the tube can be turned and passed again through the detector so that every part of'it is brought into communication with the chamber 3..

clamp is desirable butnotessential. I v 11 While we regard the rubber sheet shown as the simplest type of indicator for the detector, it will be obviousvthat other devices The , may be used to indicate an increased pressurev within the detector.

. Without limiting ourselves to the details of construction shown, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

' 1. As an article of manufacture, a detector for the" leakage of inner tubes fortires comprising a tube puncture detector having a ring-like member adapted to encircle a'sec- 1 copies of this patent may be obtained for -with said groove,

the chamber 8 and serves to force I five cents each, by addressing the Washingtoml). G. v v 3 tion of the tire and provided with a circumferential groove on its inner face and pres- I sure lndlc'atmg means in communication from the ring-like member at one side and provided with an opening extending therethrough, said opening being enlarged at one "end to" receive the end of a tire valve stem, a seated in said enlarged end of the opening to pack the joint between the stem and opening wall,,said projection having a chamber-into which the other end of the 1 opening therein communicates, and, a flexible expansible I indicator. mounted over said chamber and adapted'to-indicate rises of substantially as described.

2. As anarticle of manufacture, a deand a projection extendingtector for the leakage of air vfrom inner tubes of tires comprlsing a puncture detector for the tube body, having a ring-like.

member adaptedtoencircle a section of the tire and being'interrupted for the introduction of the" tire into the ring-like member, said member beingprovided with a circumferential' groove on its inner face, pressure indicating means in communication with said groove, a projection extending from the ring-like-member at oneside and provided with an opening, adapted to receive, a tire Commissioner of Patents, 

